EASTWOOD SETTLES WILD WEST SHOOTOUT

February 20, 2018. It hasn’t taken long, but a rivalry has been established. Earlier in the season, I caught my first game of women’s cricket as UniWaitak snuck past Takapuna in a T20 thriller. With an array of domestic and international talent on both sides, it is no surprise that they met again in the Pearl Dawson final and delivered a memorable match at Te Atatu Park.

UniWaitak won the toss and decided to give their strong batting line-up first use of the wicket. Takapuna struck early. Anna Peterson chipped Arlene Kelly over mid-off for what should have been a comfortable single. Peterson turned for the second. Katie Gurrey didn’t respond. Lauren Down rushed the ball back to Kelly and Peterson was well short as she turned back to the bowler’s end.

In between two tight overs of Naveena Hira off-spin, a killer Kelly slower ball had Katie Anderson caught at point. In the fifth over, Kelly went back to the slower ball. With no fine leg in place, Sam Curtis pounced on the full length sweeping away two timely boundaries.

Takapuna had built the pressure; UniWaitak had to take some risks. Three fours came from the sixth over as Gurrey and Curtis took Hira on. Two pulled boundaries – one from a full toss and the other a half-tracker – made Down bring herself up from long-on. Curtis sensed an opportunity smothering one straight at the Ponies’ skipper. She wouldn’t miss out a second time closing out the powerplay with a beautifully lofted on-drive to the boundary. Cricketing by-play at its best and this during a sequence where Curtis hit five fours in nine deliveries – one every second ball.

Lauren Heaps and Sydney Bultitude impressed through the middle overs with beautiful flight and unerring accuracy. There were a few near-chances as balls were mishit into the outfield. By the end of the first ten overs, quick singles and sharp gapped twos ran Takapuna ragged. A tough caught and bowled chance went down and Takapuna were urged to ‘tidy it up’.

Bultitude continued to flight the ball, but Gurrey and Curtis used their feet to tick over the strike. Just as the fireworks were due to start, Gurrey was beaten in flight. A catch looped out to point and Heaps did the rest to break a 70-run partnership. Heaps kept the pressure on at the other end and in her final over, she took the big wickets of Curtis and Holly Huddleston. Bultitude then beat the bat with flight and bounce completing the only maiden over in the match.

The big finish was left to UniWaitak skipper Alex Eastwood and Maddy Cooke. It took until the penultimate delivery for UniWaitak to clear the boundary. Eastwood heaved Claire Mains across the line. Anlo van Deventer, who had been Takapuna’s vocal leader in the field, understandably misjudged just how well it was hit as many chances had already fallen short. van Deventer ran in before tracking back towards the boundary where she could only parry it over the boundary for six.

UniWaitak finished on 116/6 as van Deventer’s accurate throw caught Eastwood short. It wasn’t the most imposing score, but it would take some chasing. Runs on the board, international bowlers and the pressure of a chase.

Takapuna started slowly. Down took Anderson on to the tune of four down the ground before crisply swatting Huddleston over mid-wicket. They were the only boundaries in the first ten overs as UniWaitak seized control. It was about now I realised I had seen this film before – the first time these sides met. The Ponies needed someone to be brave.

The run-rate blew out to seven and a half an over and the wickets started to fall. First Curtis had Carla Wood caught and then Natasha Reddy bowled van Deventer around her legs. Reddy’s flight was a real throwback to junior cricket.

As the required run-rate increased, a couple of former teammates kept saying ‘this is the over, this is the over’. That over finally came when Kerry Tomlinson crushed a drive to the extra cover boundary – the first four in the best part of 12 overs. Singles and twos followed and Brianna Perry’s only over went for 12.

33 off 24. Eastwood then gambled replacing the economical Reddy with the experienced Peterson. The short leg-side boundary was too inviting for Kerry Tomlinson. She stepped across and she too was bowled around her legs. Down then slog-swept a six clearing deep square. Peterson responded. Down cut to backward point and Kelly set off for a single, but there wasn’t one. Even in the confusion, Kelly was sharp enough to sacrifice her wicket for her skipper.

24 off 18. Huddleston overpitched and Down flicked it behind square for four. Down took one to the ribs heaving across the line and scampered through for a leg-bye. Hira got stuck on the crease and Huddleston found way through. A dot and two singles followed.

17 off 12. Peterson bowled her fourth. With a well-protected leg-side field, Down took a single giving the strike to Liz Olney. A bunt into the leg-side was enough to get Down on strike, but only after another sacrificed Pony. Olney was run out. A two over wide long-off and three singles gave both sides a chance headed to the final over.

11 off 6. Huddleston overpitched and Down picked it up over the long deep square for six. A quick look at the umpire and a waist-high no-ball was called.

4 off 6. Takapuna were now favourites, but UniWaitak had not given up. The next two balls did not leave the wicket – one back to Huddleston and the next a swing and a miss through to the keeper. 4 off 4. Down finally got something through the off-side, but the long-on fielder came around to keep it to two and keep the game alive. 2 off 3. Huddleston charged in with Down ready to finish the match. The field was up and it was there to hit; inside edge and onto the stumps. Down’s wonderful run-a-ball knock of 63 had come to an end. 2 off 2. When Heaps tried to get in behind the ball to squeeze a single, she was trapped in front. The finger went up. 2 off 1. Claire Mains, who probably doesn’t bat all that often, dropped the ball not far from her feet and set off for the single. The fielder charged in and, after a slight fumble and with another fielder in the way, decided it was not worth throwing to the bowler's end. The match was tied.

Replay? Super Over? Shared title? Bowl off. Something to tick off this season’s bucket list. As the players got organised there was just enough to go through the what-ifs in the player's minds. Misfields, run-outs, dropped catches, poor running. After four attempts, it was tied at 1-1. Eastwood then stood up for UniWaitak hitting twice to go up 3-1 and with one final Takapuna miss, UniWaitak were crowned Pearl Dawson champions. Nobody was quite sure what to do as UniWaitak's celebrations were understandably a bit of an anticlimax.

It was a cruel way to decide such an exhilarating and worthy final, but that, as they say, is cricket. Both sides will now look to lift the Prichard Cup in the 50 over competition.